Uses for sprues

[Dedwrekka]

I\'ve been scouting the web, looking for good tips on what to use sprues (metal and plastic) for.

In the end I had to have some of my own revelations, and I\'d like to share some.

1) Metal Decking
placeing plastic sprues side by side and top to bottom like in the pattern below creates a nice metalic decking look for terrain and similar conversions.
__________
/____\\\\___/

2) Large barrels
Placeing cut, equal sized, plastic sprue end to end, top to top and bottom to bottom like the pattern below makes a large corrugated metal barrel, suitable for any wargame (depending on the size).

_____
\\___//..\\
.........\\__\\


3) Mutations/Spiny ridges
Most metal sprues have a large spikey pattern once the individual bitz have been removed. it\'s relatively easy to turn this into a spiny ridge on a mini.
Cut the metal sprue to fit the curve/details of the mini you\'re going to put it on. Then build up greenstuff on the sides, back, and front of the ridge to create either the \'bursting through\' look, or the \'it came that way look\'.
To create the \'bursting through\' look, just sculpt the Greenstuff like below.
.. /\\ <--Sprue
..| |
\\\\| |// <--greenstuff
//| |\\\\
/\\
|
\'bursting\' pattern

or you could go for the natural \'it came that way look\' like below

../\\ <--sprue
/| |\\ <--greenstuff
/ | | \\

I know I should turn this into an article but I wanted to get some more ideas and some pictures of my minis to which I\'ve done this first.

So feel free to post some of your own revelations about sprue uses. I\'d like to hear some good ideas.

 

[freakinacage]

i tend to use off cuts for terrain. rubble and girders mostly. they look quite good if you leave them poking out of ruined walls etc as they look like reinforcing bars

 

[Fizl]

I\'m obviously boring, i just cut them up and stick them in my vallejo bottles as agitators

Shaz

 

[Dragonsreach]

Fizl: Men just shake the bottle.

As for sprues, cut up for rubble or binned. Metal bits get kept to use as weights.

 

[Nailpainter2003]

Well, as you may, or may not know, I am sculpting at the moment. For my first figures, I chose to sculpt a \'Swamp Demon\' and a smaller(25mm)\'Female figure\'. The Swamp Demon is almost complete, but for one feature. ....Any way, back to the topic at hand....What luck,...I found a piece of sprue, the exact size and shape to use as armature for the last, remaining \'bit\' of the Demon...Now, I am happy to announce, that he is \'anatomically correct\' to the smallest detail!....Don\'t worry guys, I\'ve also scupted a removable loin cloth! :moon:

No cute little drawings here, like Dedwrekka used and no sneak peeks of my vignette until scuplting is complete!

 

[vincegamer]

Originally posted by Nailpainter2003
Well, as you may, or may not know, I am sculpting at the moment. For my first figures, I chose to sculpt a \'Swamp Demon\' ....Now, I am happy to announce, that he is \'anatomically correct\' to the smallest detail!....

For his sake I hope it\'s not really THAT small a detail

 

[makeitgameit]

if you heat the sprue up over a candle slowly, when they start to melt pull it apart slowly and remove it away from the heat as you do so, and you will end up with a long strand, you have just created an Arial, cut to required longth……..

I am putting together a web site (not totally finished yet) at the moment and there will be lots of ideas on things like that and conversions
Please have a look at it

http://www.makeitgameit.4t.com/photo.html

 

[Treacherous_1]

beaten to the post!

makeitgameit you beat me to it! i use sprues for the very same reason. you have to master it just right though as if you have too hot a flame then it wont work. it just breaks up! a low heat and a gentle \'teasing\' will work better, but too low a flame and it will just keep snapping. takes a little practice.

aditionally you can have lots of fun melting them into weird shapes then dunk them in water to freeze it in the shape desired. obviously this involves a naked flame and should not be taken lightly

i also find that because sprues are the same depth they make excellent \'packers\' for building up elevations such as steps and paving etc. gives you a sound level to work from then.

Treach.

 

[makeitgameit]

sorry about that Treacherous_1,

there are so many uses for sprues, the only limit is you imagination!!!

 

[Treacherous_1]

lol, no appology required. i\'ll keep an eye out on the website, and see how its developing. i want to do one myself but dont have a clue where to start!

 

[NecroN]

I have sharpened the ends of sprues and used them as spikes in earthworks, done the \'sprue rubble thing\', used metal bits to weigh down platics, done the melt thing once to make a bow string (now use my own hair), and I am sure a ton of other things, including the worst possible, thrown them out.

 

[Nailpainter2003]

You should know better.....

Originally posted by vincegamer

Originally posted by Nailpainter2003
Well, as you may, or may not know, I am sculpting at the moment. For my first figures, I chose to sculpt a \'Swamp Demon\' ....Now, I am happy to announce, that he is \'anatomically correct\' to the smallest detail!....

For his sake I hope it\'s not really THAT small a detail

....for I am a woman, AND his creator!! Trust me, I had to sculpt this one, piece of anatomy three times(each time getting smaller) just to make certain that it was proportionate for his mamoth size.....then it was off for a long, COLD shower for me!!.....That\'s how realistic I sculpted him!!:flip::bouncy: Do not worry, the men of the world would be proud of this representation...
Faye

 

[Zora]

Faye...

You\'re such a tease!

 

[Nailpainter2003]

Who....ME???

Originally posted by Zora
You\'re such a tease!

Zora: If it wasn\'t for my imagination and these midget men, I\'d have no fun at all!!:flip::moon::bouncy:
Faye

 

[Mosch]

/me want picture :]

 

[MaestroOfMayhem]

I made a nice little painting desk and painting rack out of the sprues i got out of a few dwarf, chaos and skaven kits. If you had aenough they would make a great house or pungee pit.

 

[WurzagUdUraZahuba]

hows this for anitomicaly correct

 

[Sand Rat]

I\'d say its ok, if it werent for the bloody great crack in em.

 

[Gin1906]

Ok, Taking a chance here, Please dont laugh lol Hoping to not sound like a total moron, but what is a sprue?
Thank you
Gin

 

[Nailpainter2003]

Actually, Gin...

...sprues have nothing to do with anatomy at all. They are whats left after you snap off the usable pieces and parts of a model or figure. They can be plastic or metal and usually considered trash(or left over frame work) that your model was attached to. You know, like a model airplanes tiny parts are all attached to a larger square of plastic? Once you snap all the pieces for assembly off, you\'re left with the \'throw away part?\' That\'s a sprue. and many of us save this to use in other ingenious ways.

Did I only confuse you more???????
Faye